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It is regrettable that the need to follow an exact routingtakes precedence over the quality of the cycling experience, itself.

In the case of northeast and northwest New Mexico - One can ride from the Grand Canyon via Cameron, Tuba City, and Second Mesa,To Window Rock and Crownpoint with variation from there either to Abq or Santa Fe.All paved with short dirt segments to nearby sites such as the spectacular Chaco Canyon ruins.

Taking such an alternative will give the cyclist the "feel" of a trip in the 1930s - Even though the exact routing is slightly different.

It is regrettable that the need to follow an exact routingtakes precedence over the quality of the cycling experience, itself.

With historic routes like this we have to walk a line between remaining true to the route as prescribed through history while creating an experience a traveling cyclist would enjoy. What we've learned from creating historic routes is that the people who are interested in the history tend to want to stay as close to it as possible, no matter what. Safety, closely followed by services, is usually the biggest factor we consider when we decide to deviate from that. I agree, your suggested routing might feel a bit more like traveling in the 1930's. It's not clear to me that's what people are looking for by retracing Route 66. Also, your alternative has unpaved sections. According to our latest survey, our membership is still mostly interested in riding on pavement.

None of this means we won't consider including mapped or suggested alternates in the final product. The Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail route has multiple alternates and spurs in order to preserve as much of the historic information as we could. These factors will all be considered when the route is actually laid out.

There are no unpaved sections on the stretch I outlined. I've ridden it.You can ride all the way from the Grand Canyon thru Window Rock to Abiquiu.All pavement, low traffic. Services comparable to the Western Express.

The unpaved part is a zag to Chaco Canyon NHP. Well worth it.This park includes some of the oldest and most extensive ancient Puebloan ruins.Speaking of history. And I do teach college history.

The fact is - Route 66 in Arizona and New Mexico has largely disappeared under I-40 since the 1970s.Yes, there is the fabulous section thru Peach Springs. But between Flagstaff and Albuquerque it is questionable.In many places the old road from the 1930s is a streak in the desert.Where there are maintained sections, they often dead-end at a fence on the interstate.And when there is a usable service road, it can be right next to 20,000 vehicles on I-40.

Nearly everyone who has tried to ride Route 66 has complained about this section.If you reroute a little bit - i.e. onto Townsend Winona Rd - you are already "off route".And if you are riding on I-40, you are certainly not riding on historic Route 66.

Although I am not absolutely against riding on an interstate - it defeats the purpose of touring IMO.I won't detour 100 miles to avoid 5 miles of interstate riding where it's the only option - - But to plan a route that includes considerable mileage of interstate and service road riding is less than ideal.

Jennifer,I won't take issue on the principal route choice. Given that the ACA route will follow the historic Rt-66 as close as possible, I hope that there will be suggested alternates for the noise, smells and spoiled views on the roads running in close proximity of I-40. Between Elk City and Clinton-OK there is a 30 miles long quiet paved backcountry road. On Google Maps it is signed as E1120 Rd, but all local road signs that I saw had EW-112 on it. Sorry, if this duplicates suggestions already made, but I have not seen any proposals for Oklahoma.

I won't take issue on the principal route choice. Given that the ACA route will follow the historic Rt-66 as close as possible, I hope that there will be suggested alternates for the noise, smells and spoiled views on the roads running in close proximity of I-40. Between Elk City and Clinton-OK there is a 30 miles long quiet paved backcountry road. On Google Maps it is signed as E1120 Rd, but all local road signs that I saw had EW-112 on it. Sorry, if this duplicates suggestions already made, but I have not seen any proposals for Oklahoma.

I will pass this along to the cartographer working on this part of the route so he can compare what was researched to your suggestion.

There are no unpaved sections on the stretch I outlined. I've ridden it.You can ride all the way from the Grand Canyon thru Window Rock to Abiquiu.All pavement, low traffic. Services comparable to the Western Express.

The unpaved part is a zag to Chaco Canyon NHP. Well worth it.This park includes some of the oldest and most extensive ancient Puebloan ruins.

Sorry, I either misinterpreted your earlier suggestion or was confusing it with a different post altogether. I agree, Chaco is amazing. My husband went there a couple of years ago, truly fascinating place. There is an alternate on the GDMBR that passes near it.

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Speaking of history. And I do teach college history.

The fact is - Route 66 in Arizona and New Mexico has largely disappeared under I-40 since the 1970s.Yes, there is the fabulous section thru Peach Springs. But between Flagstaff and Albuquerque it is questionable.In many places the old road from the 1930s is a streak in the desert.Where there are maintained sections, they often dead-end at a fence on the interstate.And when there is a usable service road, it can be right next to 20,000 vehicles on I-40.

Nearly everyone who has tried to ride Route 66 has complained about this section.If you reroute a little bit - i.e. onto Townsend Winona Rd - you are already "off route".And if you are riding on I-40, you are certainly not riding on historic Route 66.

Although I am not absolutely against riding on an interstate - it defeats the purpose of touring IMO.I won't detour 100 miles to avoid 5 miles of interstate riding where it's the only option - - But to plan a route that includes considerable mileage of interstate and service road riding is less than ideal.

These are all good points. We are not adverse to offering alternates -- paved and unpaved. This route has not been completely laid out yet and there may be a way to incorporate your suggestions as one. I just don't know at this moment. I do appreciate you for chiming in on the topic.

Having completed the ride from LA to Chicago, I have to agree with the tenor of several comments made by jamawani : the Interstate is a kind of barbed-wire fence that continuously frustrates a free cycling adventure. I hope that ACA somehow takes this into account in drawing a Bike Route 66.

I don't know what ACA has planned for the route between Ash Fork - AZ and Williams - AZ. As far as I know the original Route 66 is completely replaced by Interstate 40. To bypass this 19 mile long section involving 1600 ft of climbing, I took today County Rd 142, also signed as Double A Ranch Rd, out of Ash Fork. After 4.8 mi the road changes to FR-124 but keeps its name Double A Ranch Rd. It soon becomes a dirt road with a solid red-brick surface, until it gets paved again a couple of miles before Williams. It is a rolling, very scenic road. Of course it also involves at least 1600 ft of climbing and totals 29 miles, but in a quiet setting without diesel fumes. Dirt roads are also less risky for punctures than the shoulders of Interstates. Part of FR-124 runs along the Santa Fe railway. I saw 8 freight trains passing in the 2 hours I was on this road, more than the number of cars and motorcycles. There is no way of getting lost if you keep the two numbers County Rd 142 and FR-124 in mind, because the main road is much broader and much better maintained than the side roads ending on it. While a dirt road may not be liked by all cyclists, I would recommend it at least for eastbound Route 66 travel. Westbounders might try to outpace the heavy trucks on the Interstate.

I've done the Williams to Ash Fork section twice. The first time was late in the day, and we had such a strong headwind that we couldn't go faster than 15 mph - even on a fully loaded tandem. I wish we were going uphill eastbound to have a tailwind. The second time was late morning, and I had no such problems with the wind. In general, I've found the I-40 shoulders in Arizona to be quite excellent.

But I-40 shoulders in New Mexico, well that's another story. I was on a business trip to Gallup, NM and saw the abysmal condition of the shoulder when driving back to Albuquerque. But then I saw this route <http://www.bicyclemaps.org/rt66/Route_66/Welcome.html> which looked encouraging. Following an older Route 66 alignment is "legitimate" to me because it is still in the spirit of seeing the history.

I put Route 66 east of Flagstaff on hold because I just wasn't excited about riding large sections of I-40, even with the possibility of combining with a business trip to NM. But I'm encouraged that there may be some creative alternates, so I am waiting for the maps with excitement!

I'm route planning for an April 2015 Southern California to Bar Harbor, ME trip and was wondering if the Route 66 map project was still scheduled for publishing this year? Just curious and hoping it will provide options / detail for the CA - AZ- NM part of the journey.

I'm route planning for an April 2015 Southern California to Bar Harbor, ME trip and was wondering if the Route 66 map project was still scheduled for publishing this year? Just curious and hoping it will provide options / detail for the CA - AZ- NM part of the journey.

We are just finishing the layout of the Bicycle Route 66 maps. The intended publication date of the maps is targeted for early 2015.

It is regrettable that the need to follow an exact routingtakes precedence over the quality of the cycling experience, itself.

In the case of northeast and northwest New Mexico - One can ride from the Grand Canyon via Cameron, Tuba City, and Second Mesa,To Window Rock and Crownpoint with variation from there either to Abq or Santa Fe.All paved with short dirt segments to nearby sites such as the spectacular Chaco Canyon ruins.

Taking such an alternative will give the cyclist the "feel" of a trip in the 1930s - Even though the exact routing is slightly different.

Hi jamawani. Could you provide the highway numbers or road names for the routes above? I'm working on routing through this area for a Coast to Coast next year. In another post you mentioned that services are similar to other ACA routes. Do you have any of that detail? Thank you in advance!